A consumer who subscribes to receive broadcast and/or interactive television entertainment and information has a client receiving device, typically in a home or place of business, that is configured to receive the broadcast television entertainment and information in the form of video and audio content from a television-based broadcast system. A network operator implements the television-based broadcast system to deliver the video and audio content over a cable and/or satellite distribution system to the subscribers. Additionally, a client device, such as a digital video recorder or a personal video recorder, can receive video content in the form of on-demand entertainment, such as movies. A digital or personal video recorder includes a hard disk memory so that a viewer can record the video content and other content of interest to the viewer and/or implement digital rights management technology for on-demand entertainment.
A network operator that provides both the client receiving devices and the viewing content to subscribers in a broadcast and interactive television-based system can implement that the client devices log consumer viewing selections and choices, and communicate the collected information back to the network operator or to a third-party. Subscriber viewing selections and choices can include television broadcast viewing, on-demand video content viewing, interactive television and/or Internet browsing choices, interactive entertainment usage such as games, and any other type of media access. Network operators seek to collect consumer information relating to subscribers interactive selections and viewing choices to better determine which broadcast channels and types of content are preferred by how many of the subscribing viewers.
Additionally, a network operator can associate the collected information communicated from a client device with the corresponding subscription account, and further associate any personal and demographic information about a particular subscriber with the collected viewing information. This information can be utilized as a basis for subscription fees, content distribution fees charged to content providers, and as a basis for how much to charge for advertisements on particular channels at particular times during a broadcast day, depending upon which channels subscribers will most likely be watching.
Subscribers to a television-based system, however, have an expectation of privacy in any personal information associated with their subscription account, with selection choices when interacting with an interactive television system, and in their viewing choices, particularly in their home. Further, some privacy laws either restrict network operators from collecting consumer information, or require disclosing to subscribers that information about their viewing habits is being collected and additionally showing the subscribers what information has been collected.
In an effort to provide subscribers with a sense of privacy regarding interactive selections and media viewing choices, and/or in an effort to conform with privacy laws that restrict network operators from collecting consumer information, a network operator may contract with a third-party proxy to collect subscriber media viewing and interaction information. With this level of privacy control, however, subscribers must still rely on the network operator not to attempt to correlate the collected information with any corresponding subscription accounts. Further, subscribers must also rely on the contracted third-party to maintain the collected information in a manner that prevents disclosure of subscription account identifiers, such as the unique identifier corresponding to a client receiving device.
Accordingly, for television-based entertainment and information systems, there is a need for techniques to anonymously collect and aggregate subscriber information, such as interactive selections and media viewing choices, without disclosing to a network operator or to a third-party the identity of any one subscriber or associating the subscriber with any particular selections or choices.